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Chandni
Chowk
Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk - old Delhi
all details, photos, Gallery, markets, buildings
When the famous Mughal Emperor
Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and established the city
of Shahjahanabad, he had the majestic Red Fort or Lal Qila, on the banks
of River Yamuna. Chandni Chowk was built in 1650 AD as an accompaniment
to the fort. It was designed by Jahanara, the Emperor's favorite daughter.
A large chowk ("square") with a central pool was built at some distance
from the fort.
The story goes that on a
moonlit night, the new complex and the pool lay shimmering; as a result,
it acquired the name of Chandni Chowk- "the moonlit square".
Another legend says that
the Chowk was named after it's silversmiths and there is a confusion of
the word 'chandi' (silver) with 'chandni' (moonlit).
Chandni Chowk, the commercial
area of the Mughal’s entirely designed with great love and care by Jahanara
Begum, Shahjahan’s favorite daughter, has now transformed itself into a
colorful shopping area, which is one of the country’s best known wholesale
markets. Chandni Chowk or Silver Square is the main street of Old Delhi,
congested but colourful shopping bazaar. At its eastern end (towards the
Red Fort) is a Digambara (sky-clad) Jain Temple, a Birds hospital, a Shiva
temple and the Gurudwara Sis Ganj dedicated to the 9th Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur
who was beheaded here by Emperor Aurangzeb. Fatehpuri Masjid, built by
one of Shahjahan’s wives, marks the western end. The bazaar is one of the
largest and busiest wholesale and retail markets where one can find almost
every thing - clothes, fabrics, watches, shoes, books, gems and jewellery
so on and so forth
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Nai Sarak meaning new street
is the linking road, which connects the main Chandni Chowk Road to Chawri
Bazaar and has a very big wholesale and retail market of mainly school
and college textbooks. The street can be reached by taking a left turn
after the Paranthewali Gali and just before the Katra Nawab Gali on the
main Chandni Chowk Road. The other way to reach here is by taking a right
turn from Chawri Bazaar Road if coming from the Jama Masjid direction.
The street is called so because it is comparatively a new and broad road
made by British after the war of 1857. |
It is lined with double storey
buildings mainly dominated by early 20th century architecture. The lower
storeys of these buildings have shops, which are specialized in special
types of books like children's books or medical textbooks or books in different
languages. Some shops specialize in stationery items as well as sell papers
mostly used in offices. The market is today a busy thoroughfare and customers
of all age can be seen here heading towards the shops that cater to their
needs.
The market has also few
wholesale shops of saris selling pure cotton, silk and embroidered ones
among the many varieties available there. There are also one or two shops
in the market that sells old and new musical instruments.
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